West Middlesex University Hospital, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, are set to deliver a post-referral service for suspected skin cancer using AI Teledermatology.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CWFT) first partnered with Skin Analytics in 2022 to implement DERM, Artificial intelligence as a Medical Device (AIaMD), into the skin cancer pathway at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Following its success, the Trust has moved from pilot to sustainable standard practice, now expanding the service to West Middlesex University Hospital.
As a Trust, CWFT has seen rising demand for urgent suspected skin cancer (USSC) referrals; with a 22% increase in 2023/2024 compared to the same period in 2022/2023, and nearly doubling against pre-COVID-19 numbers. Last year, there were 4,404 USSC referrals into West Middlesex University Hospital which is expected to increase by 20% this year. In addition, more than 90% of Trust referrals do not result in an urgent skin cancer diagnosis.
The aim of AI driven teledermatology is to address the gap between dermatology demand and capacity, reducing time spent on face-to-face consultations for benign conditions that do not need urgent treatment whilst reserving capacity for patients who do need to be seen.
How does it work?
After a patient who is worried about a mole or skin lesion has been referred on the USSC pathway, they will be contacted with details of an appointment at an imaging clinic.
At the clinic at West Middlesex University Hospital, the patient’s medical and lesion history is confirmed and their suspicious mole or skin lesion is captured using validated hardware. These images are then uploaded to the Skin Analytics custom-built teledermatology platform where DERM – the only UKCA Class IIa AI as a Medical Device for dermatology – will assess and classify in seconds.
DERM is trained to classify 11 different lesion types including the most common malignant, pre-malignant, and benign skin lesions, performing to a very high standard at 98% sensitivity for melanoma and SCC. This allows NHS organisations, like CWFT, to discharge patients with benign lesions earlier in the pathway and prioritise patients that need to be seen.
Watch this video to see how AIaMD works in secondary care.
Anticipated results
Since launching at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the Skin Analytics service has undergone extensive post-market surveillance and health economic modelling, consistently demonstrating true clinical value. Of Skin Analytics’ NHS partners in secondary care, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has the highest face-to-face appointment avoidance rate (currently at 95%) and has reported a 10% reduction in biopsies, 13% reduction in patients booked for routine follow-up appoints, all while maintaining a positive patient experience with 83% of patients saying they would recommend the service to friends and family. The service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was also shortlisted for a 2024 HSJ Award earlier this year, recognising an outstanding contribution to healthcare, with a further two nominations this month for the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards.
Given these results, we look forward to rolling out the service at West Middlesex University Hospital to support the community as we work together to improve patient outcomes and sustainability for the healthcare system.
Dr Marta Boffito, Clinical Director of the Specialist Care Division at the Trust (HIV, Sexual and Gender Health and Dermatology) said:
“The benefits we have seen since implementing AI technology with Skin Analytics at our Chelsea and Westminster Hospital site have been invaluable – helping to free up clinician time to be concentrated on more serious cases, and helping us see more patients that we otherwise would not have been able to.”
“We are proud to be implementing this technology at our West Middlesex University Hospital site, to support our specialist teams and help diagnose and treat patients with skin cancer more quickly.”
A big thank you to the team at West Middlesex University Hospital who have worked both innovatively and collaboratively to launch the service, to improve patient outcomes and provide the best, and most efficient patient experience possible.
Skin Analytics has been supported by the CW Innovation programme, which is led jointly by CW+ and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and looks for ideas and innovations that support the everyday care of patients. The CW Innovation team has worked alongside colleagues in the dermatology service at the Trust, providing expert advice and guidance from the earliest stage of the Skin Analytics project.